Mike Johnson responds to Marjorie Taylor Greene's effort to oust him: "She's frustrated"
Washington DC - House Speaker Mike Johnson claims that he is in the process of negotiating with Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is leading an effort to have him ousted.
On Sunday, Johnson sat down for an interview on Fox News, where he revealed that he and MTG will soon hold a meeting to talk over their differences.
"Look, Marjorie Taylor Greene filed the motion. It's not a privilege motion, so it doesn't move automatically – it's just hanging there," Johnson explained.
"She's frustrated," he continued. "She and I exchanged text messages even today. We're going to talk early next week."
On March 22, moments before the House voted on a $1.2 trillion federal spending package, Greene submitted her motion, arguing the bill is "a Democrat wish list that continues the border invasion, funds the weaponized government, and breaks our own conference rules."
Johnson went on in the interview to call her a "friend," adding that he, too, is frustrated with the bill and plans to talk to her "about reforming the budgeting and spending process going forward."
But he also noted that her effort to remove him was "a distraction from our mission."
"These are not the perfect pieces of legislation that you and I and Marjorie would draft if we had the ability to do it differently," he said. "But with the smallest margin in US history, we're sometimes going to get legislation that we don't like."
Can Mike Johnson actually negotiate with Marjorie Taylor Greene?
Greene has threatened to oust Johnson on multiple occasions, with her biggest criticism being his willingness to work with Democrats by allowing aid for Ukraine to remain in the bill.
During the interview, Johnson hinted that a standalone Ukraine package might be brought to the House floor after Congress returns from vacation on April 9, a move that would only anger Greene and others who disagree with providing the funding even more.
In a social media post on Monday, Greene slammed Johnson for his plans to "keep the war raging," which she claims goes "against the will" of the American people.
Cover photo: Collage: ALEX WONG / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP